Federal Government has approved a new professorial allowance of ₦1,740,000 per year under the recently signed renegotiated agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), aimed at ending years of frequent strikes and improving university teaching and research.
Gatekeepers News reports that the agreement, signed on Wednesday in Abuja and presided over by Tunji Alausa, Minister of Education, and Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad, Minister of State for Education, followed long negotiations that concluded in late 2025 to replace the contentious 2009 FG-ASUU pact that stalled for 16 years.
Under the new pay structure, full-time professors will receive an annual top-up of ₦1.74 million (about ₦140,000 monthly), while academic Readers will be paid ₦840,000 per year (about ₦70,000 monthly) as part of the professorial cadre allowance.
The government says this allowance is meant to help cover costs linked to research coordination, academic documentation, correspondence, administrative duties, and innovation.
The agreement also introduces an enhanced Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA) that applies to activities such as journal publication, learned society membership, conference attendance, internet access, and book purchases, as part of a 40% overall review in lecturers’ remuneration approved by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC), effective January 1, 2026.
In addition, Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) have been restructured and tied clearly to duties performed, covering work like postgraduate supervision, fieldwork, clinical duties, exams, and leadership roles, to promote fairness and productivity.
ASUU President Chris Piwuna expressed optimism that the government will fully implement the terms, while officials say the deal moves to end repeated industrial action and strengthen Nigeria’s public university system.
